The device of the present invention pertains to reinforcing the corners of a mattress having soft sides, such as a waterbed or airbed.
Fluid-filled beds are quickly gaining popularity as an alternative sleeping surface to standard spring-based mattresses. This trend began with waterbeds and recent advances in airbed technology have placed airbeds in the forefront of fluid-filled mattresses.
Initial waterbed designs provided a bladder placed into a bed frame having a cavity formed by a solid base and four rigid walls. The bladder was then filled with water and laterally constrained by the rigid walls. The need for a soft-sided waterbed was quickly illuminated as people began bruising their legs on the rigid sides of the bed and found sitting on the edge of the bed extremely uncomfortable.
Soft-sided waterbeds, and now airbeds as well, substitute the rigid side walls of the previous designs with foam walls. The bladders are baffled so that less lateral support is required. The soft, foam sides more closely simulate a conventional spring mattress and virtually eliminate the problems associated with hard-sided waterbeds.
However, the foam sides present a unique problem. Soft foam is an inherently poor construction material. In order to form the soft border, four pieces of foam are laid around the bladder, inside the mattress cover, in such a manner as to form butt joints at the corners. In order to join the members to each other, one solution covers the foam members with a material to which a hook and loop fastener is attached. The hook and loop fastener joins the two members forming each butt joint.
Over a relatively short period of time, the butt joint formed using a hook and loop fastener tends to shift. This shifting gives the corners of the mattress a somewhat soft, sloppy appearance. Moreover, these individual foam covers represent a significant unit cost, which is uneconomical considering their ineffectiveness.
It would thus be desirable to provide a low cost mechanism for joining two foam side members together to form a butt joint that will maintain its shape over time.
The present invention provides a method and mechanism for maintaining a desired orientation of the abutting sides of a soft-sided, fluid-filled bed. The mechanism is inexpensive, easy to manufacture, easy to assemble by the consumer, and usable in any of the four corners of the mattress.
The mechanism generally comprises a plastic 90 degree channel defined by an outer wall, an inner wall, and a bottom. The outer wall is high enough to prevent the foam member from sagging over the wall yet short enough so as to be relatively undetectable by someone sitting on the side of the bed. The inner wall is somewhat shorter than the outer wall to keep material costs to a minimum. The inner wall acts as an anchor to keep the foam members in close proximity to the outer wall. In the case of differing foam thicknesses between the sidewalls and endwalls, the inner wall can be dimensioned accordingly, or an alternative mechanism could be substituted for the innerwall.
In use, the mechanism gives the corner of the mattress a crisp appearance, despite repeated usage. The mechanism also assists in keeping bedding, such as fitted sheets, from slipping off of the corners.